I liked the poem "Intro to Creative Writing by Dani Johannesen." I felt like the story was exciting and inviting. The introduction to the story itself was very catchy and got my attention. The intro brought me to reality I thought of my daily life when the story said, "Professor Stevens dislikes donuts; the icing gets stuck in his beard. Fridays he breakfasts at Burger King." The mentioning of donuts made me think of the many dunkin donuts commercials and adverstisements that all almost everywhere and Burger King reminded me of the one here at Mason. "He strolls into his classroom wearing his uniform—faded black jeans that sag in the rear." This quote somewhat reminded me of myself and some of my friends, it definitely is the fashion these days to wear faded jeans and the fact that he was sagging just made me laugh out loud. But the most interesting aspect of it was that the professor was the one wearing faded jeans and sagging, I was shocked to hear that. I cannot imagine any of my professors, (other than you of course Jessica) fitting into the fashion these days. But I must say that I like professors who relate to their students and who can understand what is happening in the life of the students through society and media.I think this story as a whole worked because it not only tells a story but it describes a story in great detail. It tell a little about the professors thoughts and background information and then it shows him in the life of a teacher. He goes to the lake, he smokes, he's late, and he likes his alone time (he ignores his wife’s phone calls.) He does not seem like the typical professor but maybe its because I do not know background information about most of my professors. I like how he connects with his students most of all, I think that makes him cool and it is what really makes this story. The fact that he is interested and engaged with his students on day one of the class, although he walked in late is a positive thing.
Jaaziah Bethea.
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ReplyDeleteJaaziah
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. He start by deciding who the main characters were. I like the fact that I learn as much about them as the narrative progressed. I also think that he created carefully a piece that you can accept. Give them names and backgrounds. Make them well-rounded.
The information that was given to the students would work on an outline of their story. I usually don't tend to have very detailed outlines when I begin (I have a one or two page plot synopsis, though), but for many writers they benefit immensely from doing a thorough outline first. It really depends on how your brain works or matter of taste.
Along with the "Professor Stevens" example, I would recommend reading as many books as possible in genres that you like to write, plus books about the craft of writing. When you are reading fiction books, pay attention to how the authors structure their work.
Craig Fontenot